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Defence Against the Dark Arts

Hi! I was wondering if people had any ideas about what sort of topics might be covered at the beginning of seventh year in DADA. It's for a Marauders story, so I was thinking that maybe, seeing as they are indeed in the middle of the first war, they'd be learning battle techniques and more complicated spells for which to use to fend off dark creatures.

Since we were discussing this in another thread, I'd suggest (in theory) Occulemency. Also, there's a scene in DH where someone is working hard over George trying to save his ear, but they can't because it's such advanced dark magic, so perhaps spells that can heal some of the magic?

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At a risk of stating the bleeding obvious, it depends completely on who is teaching the subject.

All the Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers have had different styles, and have taught the subject to different levels. In a way, I think our perception of what would be taught at NEWT level in the subject is already pretty skewed by the fact that in HBP the subject is taught by Snape, who not only has extremely high expectations, but is undoubtedly brilliant at the subject. Given the sort of skills he has shown with his treatment of Dumbledore and Malfoy - ie his ability to repair sceptum sempera wounds when even Kingsley, a top Auror, cannot do so - I think it fair to say that his ability in the subject passes even the Aurors, and occasionally from the way Dumbledore talks about it, perhaps even rivals everyone's favorite headmaster.

Now it is possible that they would have an equally brilliant DAtDA teacher in, because of the circumstances out of school, but I wouldn't have thought so. In fact I would have been inclined to suggest that the reverse is true, since the best in the subject would have far too much on their hands already - either with the Order or with the ministry. Yes, James, Sirius and Lupin joined the order while still very young, but they were already quite a cut above their peers. The fact that people like Dawlish could get top marks, become Aurors and still be as evidently poor at DAtDA as they are speaks volumes to me.

What I would have assumed, and this rule applies generally to NEWT level, but especially DAtDA, is that the final year depends greatly on pupils studying for themselves. Given the motley collection of DAtDA teachers we have seen during Harry's school life, I would assume that NEWT students are rather left to fend for themselves. How else would anyone expect to pass with Lockhart as their teacher, for example. As a result of this, I'd have thought that DAtDA NEWTs would be rather less syllabus based, and more to do with students studying towards their own goals, and displaying a general knowledge of the subject.

Again, I would disagree with you on the Occlumency front Phoenix, for reasons described in the other thread, ie it being too Obscure, too personality based, and the fact that neither James, Sirius nor Lupin were seemingly any good at it.

In conclusion, I'd suggest that the nature of the lessons would depend upon the teacher, and that the vast majority of it would be self-study.

Protection

Maybe advanced defensive spells, show to use other branches of magic when fighting, and stuff they wouldn't want to be teaching younger kids- spells to incapacitate and harm, rather then just knock out or tickle.

I agree with AurorKeefy, that it would be more of a self-guided course.

Wow! Thanks guys! Going with Auror Keefy I was thinking that maybe NEWT level could consist of the students' approaches to defence. So instead of being told 'this is what spell you must perform in this situation' they are told to use whatever spell comes naturally to them. Does this sound plausible?